Chapter 115: Board Game (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 115: Board Game (2)
“Pfft…”
“Hee hee.”
As soon as my class was decided, laughter erupted from all corners of the room.
I scanned the laughing faces of the girls one by one.
“None of you are getting any blueberries.”
I declared firmly.
Just then, Sion suddenly cried out.
“Huh?!”
Her eyes widened. Everyone turned to look at her.
Before we knew it, our outfits had changed to match the classes we’d chosen.
Sion was wearing an elegant, voluminous dress.
Everyone else was dressed in beautiful clothes that suited them.
And me…
A beige top with a rope for a belt, worn-out rubber boots, and a shovel stuck at my waist.
A textbook medieval farmer’s outfit.
“Take good care of your seeds.”
Cheon Yeo-wool tossed out.
“How about I bury you in the ground with them?”
I growled, aiming the shovel at her.
“Shall we begin?”
Everyone took their seats.
Now, it was time to roll the dice.
On the hologram board, a route with a few dozen spaces appeared.
The board was different for each region, and everyone had their own path.
Ha Sion was in the City, Kang A-rin in the Royal Palace, Yoon Chae-ha in the Magic Tower, and Yu Hana in the Temple.
Only Cheon Yeo-wool and I were stuck in some frontier village.
“Why are we the only ones here?”
“Right?” Cheon Yeo-wool muttered.
I could feel the wealth gap right from the start.
It was a simulation, but all developments would unfold on the board.
You roll the dice, move your piece, encounter events, and build your own life.
The game ends the moment someone reaches the finish line.
“Am I first?” Sion asked.
She, having drawn her class first, would go first.
“Here goes.”
– Clatter, clatter, clatter.
The precious youngest daughter of a duke’s family reached out and rolled the holographic die in the center of the table.
The die slowly came to a stop, showing the number 6.
“Six spaces!”
“That’s not very good.”
Sion was happy, but Kang A-rin replied coolly.
The problem was, it was a 12-sided die.
A perfectly average roll.
As if reacting to the die, Sion’s character piece zipped across the board.
Sion landed on a blue space.
An event space.
[This is your debut at a high-society party. The higher the roll, the more successful your debut.]
The Goddess narrated.
“Oh…”
Sion gripped the die again, a strangely tense look on her face.
She closed her eyes slightly and rolled the die carefully.
The result… a [9].
A message immediately unfolded.
[A successful debut! You become the flower of high society!]
In an instant, the entire room was bathed in a sparkling golden light.
The space transformed into a grand ballroom, and a central staircase materialized beneath Sion’s feet.
With every step she took down the stairs, the crowd in the projection held its breath.
From the royal high priest to the eldest sons of archdukes, everyone stared, unable to look away, bowing their heads.
[From that day on, your name spreads throughout the social circles.]
As Sion’s event hologram slowly faded, a brief silence fell over the room.
“Wow…”
Everyone was stunned.
It was beyond imagination. The quality, the immersion… It felt less like a game and more like reality.
Only the background was a simulation; you were the one actually moving.
It felt like surrendering your body to the flow, like you were acting out a role.
It was an environment that forced you to become completely immersed.
The next players quickly began to roll the dice.
[Kang A-rin – Knight of the Kingdom]
[You have saved the Princess from peril! The Emperor’s trust in you grows.]
Towards the screaming, dangling princess, a knight in a black cloak charged forward.
Kang A-rin appeared, her black cloak fluttering.
She rolled out of the flames, holding the princess in her arms.
The crowd fell silent. The princess grasped her hand, expressing her deep respect.
[Your standing within the royal court is growing.]
“……”
Kang A-rin tried to act indifferent, but the corners of her mouth were turned up quite high.
[Yoon Chae-ha – Dark Mage]
[You have succeeded in stealing a forbidden book from the Magic Tower!]
“Seriously… stealing something…”
Yoon Chae-ha slipped past the library and headed for the heart of the Magic Tower.
She ducked low, avoiding the gaze of the guard golems.
A heavy, ancient tome was clutched in her hand.
[You take one step closer to the source of all evil, the being known as Cthulhu.]
“Cthulhu…”
She grumbled under her breath, but she never let go of the ancient book.
[Cheon Yeo-wool – Junior Priestess]
[You have exposed a pastor who was stealing the church’s slush fund!]
“Huh?”
Cheon Yeo-wool, dressed in a worn nun’s habit, passed by the confessional.
Just then, she discovered the missing gold coins as she threw open a hidden safe behind the altar.
[The righteous god looks upon you with admiration.]
[You must now run this church as a mid-ranking priestess.]
“I’m not good at this kind of thing…”
She was flustered, but she began to look after the congregation more diligently than anyone.
It suited her surprisingly well.
[Yu Hana – Hero]
[First battle! You have defeated a Balrog. Your future as the Hero will be recorded for ages to come.]
In the middle of a blazing red battlefield, Yu Hana faced a colossal beast of flame, her greatsword held before her.
[Your sword pierces the beast’s heart.]
[The children of the kingdom sing your name in their nursery rhymes.]
“…This is fun.”
She muttered.
It wasn’t just her. Everyone felt the same way.
Even though I was just watching, I felt like I was being sucked into their lives.
It was definitely a game, but my heart was pounding strangely.
“My turn, I guess.”
With most of them on a path to success, the only one left was the farmer.
But well, I wasn’t expecting much.
You need a good background to get a good outcome. How great could things get for a farmer?
From a frontier village.
It seemed pretty far removed from the main story.
I rolled the die with a listless expression.
The result: a [12].
“Whoa?!”
“Huh?”
“A 12?”
The highest number to appear today.
The atmosphere in the room changed in an instant.
Everyone’s eyes were on me.
Even for a farmer, a 12 means…?
Unconsciously, my heart began to pound with anticipation.
Yu Hana got an 11 and defeated a Balrog, so with a 12, I would…
[What an incredible discovery! You’ve found a variety of blueberry with the best taste since the founding of the nation!]
[The flavor that bursts forth the moment it enters your mouth is heaven itself! It is a transcendent crop, impervious to pests, drought, and floods.]
“……”
For a moment, my mind went blank.
Then, a giant tree suddenly shot up around me.
And upon it grew luscious, purple berries.
[The effects of the blueberry become a hot topic among the nobility.]
[Rumors spread that it is good for virility and skin care, and even the most renowned nobles line up in front of your farm to obtain this fruit.]
“Wow, just fantastic.”
At this point, I couldn’t help but laugh.
I turned my head and looked at the girls.
They were avoiding my gaze, trying to hold back their laughter.
Just you dare meet my eyes.
The game continued for a few more turns like that.
Though there were differences, most of them continued on their paths to success.
I, too, became a great farmer in the frontier village.
That’s a good thing, right?
I want to believe it’s a good thing.
Before we knew it, we were all immersed in our respective roles.
Slowly, even I was starting to find the blueberries pretty.
I was definitely going crazy.
After all the pieces had taken three turns, the Goddess appeared again.
[Your lives have ripened. You may now begin the main life event.]
“Life event?”
As soon as the Goddess’s voice faded, sparkling icons floated up above the hologram board.
A heart, a wad of cash, and clapping hands.
Icons symbolizing romance, wealth, and fame, respectively.
First, the heart icon slowly flew toward Sion.
But just before it reached her, the icon changed into the clapping hands.
[※Warning※]
[The ‘Romance’ life event can only occur between players located in the same region.]
“Huh?”
The same region…
That’s just me and Cheon Yeo-wool. Everyone else was in a different region because they were assigned different classes.
As if to prove it, the heart icon before my eyes wavered slightly before landing precisely on my position.
[While visiting the village church to donate blueberries for charity, you fall in love at first sight with a nun you meet there.]
“Oh, boy.”
I pushed open the old wooden door, a box of blueberries cradled in my arms.
As the door opened, sunlight streamed in at an angle, illuminating a blue stained-glass window.
At the center of that light, Cheon Yeo-wool, dressed in a white nun’s habit, quietly raised her head.
Her clear eyes turned toward me.
“Oh my, thank you so much.”
She smiled shyly as she took the box of blueberries from me.
But…
What is this?
Why is she so beautiful?
Seeing her face, I was rendered speechless.
She hesitated for a moment, then picked up a single blueberry and carefully wiped it with her sleeve.
She put one in my mouth, and one in her own.
“It’s truly delicious… Please, be sure to come again.”
“Ah, yes… When I harvest more next week…”
I don’t even know why I answered that way.
It was the only thing I could say.
The guide message continued.
[She felt your sincerity.]
[Cheon Yeo-wool rejects the Order’s offer of a promotion to high priestess, choosing instead to live with you and run the church in the frontier village.]
[The two of you successfully marry without any issues.]
[Congratulations! You have entered the Married Couple route!]
“……”
The room fell silent.
It seemed everyone was at a loss for words.
My gaze naturally shifted to my side.
There, Cheon Yeo-wool was holding my hand tightly.
She was looking at me.
The corners of her lips were slightly raised, and her earlobes were quietly turning red.
She smiled slowly.
In that moment, she opened her mouth.
“…Darling.”
A shock that hammered against my heart.
This was no longer a game.